Tennessee men’s basketball MVP of the week: Admiral Schofield
Tennessee continued its quest for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with great play from sophomore forward Admiral Schofield.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee sophomore forward #5 Admiral Schofield drives past a Missouri defender to the basket during the Vols' win over the Tigers on Feb. 18, 2017, in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee basketball split a pair of games this week to stay on the NCAA tournament bubble despite being blow out by Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena on Tuesday, 83-58. The team followed that disappointing performance with a 90-70 blowout victory of its own at home against Missouri on Saturday.
Several players had impressive numbers in the week’s second game, but only one player was consistently effective across both the team’s contests: Admiral Schofield. Schofield was an important piece in both of Tennessee’s victories, play worthy of being Tennessee’s MVp for the week.
Schofield was one of the only bright spots in the blowout loss to Kentucky, putting up a team-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. The Vols did not rebound effectively in the game, but Schofield led the way for Tennessee by pulling down seven boards. The sophomore forward did all of that against an athletic and talented Wildcats squad while playing 25 minutes, third-most on the team.
When Tennessee returned home on Saturday to play Missouri, Schofield was one of four players to score in double digits, again finishing with 17 points. He scored against the Tigers in a variety of ways, nailing two 3-pointers and hitting seven of his 10 free throw attempts. He also pulled down five rebounds and pitched in an assist and a steal.
Schofield has been somewhat inconsistent this season, even serving a three-game suspension earlier in the year. Over the last week, he seems to have found a level of consistency and was a major contributor in each of Tennessee’s games. If he can continue to play at such a high level off the bench for the Vols, he will make a big difference in the team’s quest for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament.
Tennessee (15-12, 7-6 SEC) returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 22 when it hosts Vanderbilt at 6:30 p.m. ET before going back on the road for a big matchup with South Carolina on Saturday.
Edited by Nathan Odom
Featured image by Brad Blackwelder
Quinn is an assistant sports editor for TNJN and a sophomore majoring in Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennesse. When he's not writing, he's probably doing something else. You can follow him on Twitter (@QuinnNotCook) or e-mail him at qpilkey@vols.utk.edu.
